Wetherby School

This article is about the independent school in London. For the state school in Leeds, see Wetherby High School.

Wetherby School (Pre-prep)
Address
Pembridge Square London , W2 4ED England
Information
Type	Independent pre-prep day school
Established	1951
Local authority	Kensington and Chelsea
Department for Education URN	100519 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Head teacher	Mr Mark Snell
Gender	Male
Age	2 1/2 to 8
Enrollment	360
Colour(s)	Grey, Red
Website	www.wetherbyschool.co.uk

Wetherby School is an independent school for boys aged 2 1/2 to 18 located at three separate sites in London. The pre-prep department (original school) is located in Notting Hill, the prep school is located in Westminster and the newly created Wetherby Senior School located in Marylebone. Prince William and Prince Harry attended the pre-prep school in Notting Hill.

The school is named after Wetherby Place, in turn named after a West Yorkshire town, Wetherby. It is not to be confused with Wetherby High School, the Yorkshire town's local secondary school.

It is part of the Alpha Plus Education Group and is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools.

History

Wetherby School was founded in 1951 as a pre-preparatory school for boys aged 4–8. In 2004 it opened a preparatory department (known as Wetherby Prep, and intended to be a separate school) in a nearby building, allowing boys to stay on until the age of 13. The prep school has since moved to its current location in the City of Westminster. The pre-preparatory school had, as of 2017, 360 boys on its roll, including 88 in Reception. It has since opened a nursery section ("Little Wetherby") for boys aged 2½ to 4.

The school's original building, in 1951, was in Wetherby Place in south Kensington (hence the name, Wetherby School) but in 1971 it moved to its present building in Pembridge Square, on the other side of Kensington Gardens. The school building is a white stucco double fronted Victorian house in the Italianate style typical of Notting Hill and Holland Park architecture, constructed in about 1850. It is on the south side of Pembridge Square, a private garden square with keyholder-only access which the boys use as their playground.

Admissions

Pupils are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis (which, in practice, usually requires parents to put their child down for the school very soon after birth) and operates, therefore, no entrance examination, test or interview. The result is that the school caters for boys of many different abilities and talents.

However, because fees are charged (and, to a lesser extent, because of the smart neighbourhood in which it is located), the boys tend to come from a fairly narrow professional family background. It is also a single-sex school, although it is in the same ownership as Pembridge Hall, a similar school for girls which is also located in Pembridge Square. There are no formal joint activities between the two schools, but many children in each school have siblings at the other school.

Uniform

The boys wear a uniform of grey shorts, grey blazers with red trim, white shirts and plain red ties; and a grey peaked cap. The school logo "WS" in red is on the cap and on the breast pocket of the blazer.

Preparatory school and Senior School

Wetherby School (Preparatory and Senior Schools)
Address
Prep: 48 Bryanston Square London W1H 2EA Senior: 100 Marylebone Lane London W1U 2QB
Information
Type	Independent day school
Established	2004 2015 (senior school)
Local authority	City of Westminster
Department for Education URN	134822 Tables
Head teacher	Nick Baker
Staff	35
Gender	Male
Age	7 to 18
Enrollment	300
Website	www.wetherbyprep.co.uk

In 2004, Wetherby expanded to open a prep division for boys aged 7 to 13, sited in Bryanston Square, London. In September 2012, Wetherby Prep was awarded 'Prep School of the Year' at the annual Tatler School Awards at the Dorchester Hotel.

Due to popular demand, the senior school for boys aged 13 to 18 opened for its first intake in September 2015. It is located at the former premises of DLD College London on Marylebone Lane, a ten-minute walk away from the prep school.

Alumni

• Julian Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, actor and writer; Conservative peer of the House of Lords (2011–)
• Hugh Grant, actor
• Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, younger son of Diana, Princess of Wales and Charles, Prince of Wales
• Julian Lloyd Webber, cellist
• Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, elder son of Diana, Princess of Wales and Charles, Prince of Wales
• Lord Frederick Windsor, son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent

External links

• School website
• Senior School website
• Pre-Prep and Prep School profiles on the ISC website